And she said unto him, my lord, thou swarest by the Lord thy God unto thine handmaid ,.... Which was a very solemn oath, and binding, and which she puts David in mind of, knowing that so conscientious a man as he was would religiously observe it: saying , assuredly Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and shall sit upon my throne ; be his successor in it, and established on it. read more
And now, behold, Adonijah reigneth ,.... Has set up himself as king, and is by some saluted as such; but lest it should be thought by David that she suggested by this that he was guilty of the breach of his oath, or on any account to be blamed, she adds: and now my lord, O king, thou knowest it not ; which as it acquitted him from all blame, so it made the sin of Adonijah the more heinous, that he should do this without consulting his father about it; and was not only neglect of him as... read more
And he hath slain oxen, and fat cattle, and sheep in abundance ,.... Has made a grand entertainment, and is feasting and rejoicing; which was another instance of irreverence and disrespect to his aged father, labouring under the infirmities of old age, and on his dying bed, and he carousing, and showing all the tokens of pleasure in the view of his death, and wishing for it: and hath called all the sons of the king ; invited them to his entertainment, in order to gain them to his... read more
And thou, my lord, O king ,.... As for thee, or what concerns thee, or is incumbent on thee, will appear from the expectations of the people: the eyes of all Israel are upon thee, that thou shouldest tell them who shall sit on the throne of my lord the king after him ; this she said, to dissipate any fears that might possess his mind on hearing what Adonijah had done, that the people in general had assented to it, and encouraged him to it; whereas the body of the people were waiting to... read more
Otherwise it shall come to pass, when my lord the king shall sleep with his fathers ,.... That is, shall die, and be buried in the sepulchre of his ancestors, where he shall lie till he awakes in the morning of the resurrection: that I and my son Solomon shall be counted offenders ; or "sinners" F7 הטאים "peccatores", V. L. Pagninus, Montanus, &c.; ; not as if she would be reckoned an adulteress, and her son as illegitimate, as some think, and so be branded and treated as... read more
And, lo, while she yet talked with the king ,.... Just as she was concluding her speech to him: Nathan the prophet also came in ; as he promised he would; perhaps was at the chamber door all the while Bathsheba was speaking, and when he perceived she was just finishing, he entered in without ceremony, as he had used to do, being the king's seer and counsellor, and a prophet, who had admittance to the king at any time. read more
And they told the king ,.... Some that attended at the door, or were in the chamber: saying, behold, Nathan the prophet ; or he is in the room, which the king through his infirmities might not be sensible of: and when he was come in before the king ; nearer to him, and as to be properly in his presence: he bowed himself before the king with his face to the ground ; showing him the same reverence, though in bed, as if on his throne. read more
And Nathan said, my lord, O king ,.... He addresses him as with great veneration and respect due to his office, so as if he knew noticing of Bathsheba's application to him; and therefore begins and tells his story, as if the king had never heard anything relative to it: hast thou said, Adonijah shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne ? surely it can never be, because of the notice which he himself had given him from the Lord, that one to be born should succeed him, plainly... read more
For he is gone down this day ,.... From Jerusalem, which lay high, to the stone of Zoheleth, in Enrogel, which lay in the valley, 1 Kings 1:9 ; and hath slain oxen, and fat cattle, and sheep in abundance ; not by way of sacrifice, but for a feast, on account of his coming to the kingdom: and hath called all the king's sons ; invited them to the entertainment: and the captains of the host ; or army; not only Joab, it seems, the general of it, but the captains of thousands and... read more
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John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Kings 1:16
And Bathsheba bowed, and did obeisance to the king ,.... Not only as being her husband, but her sovereign; and this behaviour might intimate, that she had something to say to him, and more than to inquire of his health: and the king said, wouldest thou ? what hast thou to say to me? or to ask of me? what is thy will and pleasure, or thine errand to me? read more